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H. R. ALLBNQ COMBINED CCPPINC DEVICE AND VACUUM PUMP. No. 412,446,PatentedrOotQB, -1889.

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UNITED?. ySTATES ,PATENT OFFICE. 4

IIoRAcnRl ALLEN, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

= COMBI-NED cuPPING DEVICE AND VACUUM-PUMP.'

SPECIFIQATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NQ.412,446, dated October8, 1889.

Application lec'l January 5, 1889. Serial No. 295,563. (Model.)

To all whom/it may concern:

Beit known that I, HORACE R. ALLEN, a

vcitizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the countyof Marion and State of l This invention relates to improvements in, cuin devices used in surger f the ob'ect e I ll of the invention primarilybeing to provide a cheap, simple, and effective cupping device andcombine therewith in a compact form a vacuum-pump, the whole being asone device, toY thereby-obviate the use of tubing andseparate pumpsandconnections heretofore in common use.

Surgical cups of ordinary construction -have usually been made of glass,vulcanized rubber, or metal, and have been connected to separatevacuum-pumps (usually ordinary piston-pumps) by means of flexibletubing,

it being withV cups of this construction necessary to create a vacuum inthe cup to eX- haust the air by operating the pump beforeA the` said cupwould adhere to the part to which it was applied, thus necessita-tingthe holding of the cup in one hand and the operation of the pump withthe other, which was difficult to accomplish without assistance, thetask being a laborious and rather unsatisfactory one. Again, glass, hardrubber, or metal cups are apt to bruise and' discolor the parts of thebody of the subject to which they are applied.

- Another and one of the chief objects of this invention is tosoconstruct and combine thepump with the cupping device that it may beapplied and effectively operated with one hand and secure results thatare practically impossible with cups dependent upon separateA pumps andconnections for atmospheric pressure and vacuum, by doing away withnumerous connections and joints, obviating leakage, and'having a directconnection between the pump proper and the vacuum-chamber of the cup,rendering. the operation of the cup and its application to the subject amatter' of the greatest simplicity and the life of the device of greatduration.

Another obj ect of the invention is to construct the combined clippingdevice and pump in such compact form that it Inay be veasily .carried inthe pocket without inconvenience, and so that it is always ready for usewithout making connections with tubes, &c.

With these objects in View4 the invention consists in certain details ofconstruction and in the combination and arrangement of the several partsof the combined cup and vacuumpump, substantially as hereinafter-described and claimed.

Figure I represents in central vertical section, partially in sideelevation, a combined cupping device and vacuum pump constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a plan vi'ew of the same, thehandle being removed and a portion of the cup beingbroken out to showthe interior of the airchamber; Fig. 3, a horizontal cross-section ofthe same on dotted line x, Fig. 1,.looki'ng in the direction of thearrow; and Fig. Li, a sectional detail showing the corrugated wall ofthe cup-casing, taken on dotted line y y, Fig. 1. 1

In the drawings, A represent-s the side or wall of the cupping device,which side or wall has an air-chamber and vacuum-chamber, and inconnection therewith will preferably be made of flexible rubber all inone piece, as shown clearlyrin Fig. l and asv hereinafter Inore fullydescribed, the side or body of the cupping device being preferablycircular in for-In and having at its lower end an outwardly-projectingannular flange a', which an ge will preferablybe of less thickness thanthe main body of the cup, so as to form an adhering lip that will notbruise or discolor the `skin when the cup is applied. The side orvertical portion of the cup will preferably be corrugated vertically tostiffen the body of the cup. I do not desire to limit myself to aone-piece cup, as the same might be made in a series of pieces suitablyjoined together. A onepiece cup is, however, preferable. Neither do Idesire to limit to the exact shape of cup shown in the drawings, nor tothe construction of a cup from elastic rubber entirely, as the lower orcorrugated portion of the cup might be made of metal or other materialwith an elastic lip or flange at the bottom and .an elastic top securedthereto in any suitable manner.

Formed in the inner wall of the cup at' a IOO distance considerablyremote from the lower or flanged edge is a shoulder or annular flangea2, which forms a bearing for the edge of 'a diaphragimplate B, which issecured thereto or held in place by the edge of the top of the cup. Thisdiaphragm-plate, which is preferably constructed of metal and of a shapeto correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the cup, divides theinterior of the cup virtually into two compartments-1i. e., the lower orvacuum compartment C and the upper or air compartment D-an opening bthrough the plate communicating with the two compartments, forming anoutlet-port for the air in compartment or chamber C, when the cup isapplied and the operation of pumping proceeded with to exhaust the airin chamber C. This port b is covered by a flexible valve B', preferablysheet-rubber, which is fixed to the upper side of the diaphragnr plate Bat one or more points, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Formed through the top of the cup, as shown in Fig. l, is an opening c',communicating with the air-chamber D, which opening.,lr forms anexhaust-port, through which the air -drawn from the vacuum chamber Cinto the airchamber D is expelled.

Located within the air-chamber is a disk F, formed, preferably, ofmetal, and formed upon or secured to the upper face of this djsk is acone-shaped valve f', which registers with and has its seat in theexhaust-opening c', and closes said opening at the upward stroke of thepump-dish F. This disk F will preferably have an internallythreadedcentral collar f2, which extends through a central opening in the top ofthe cup, as shown in Figs. l and 2, an operating-rod f3, secured to ahorizontal handle f4, being screwed into said collar, and operatingr tomove the disk F upward and downward to exhaust and expel the air fromchamber C, the disk F, rod f3, and handle f4 forming, in connection withthe air-chamber D, flexible casing, and valves, a vacuum-pump to exhaustand expel the air in chamber C.

It is obvious that, instead of a socket or collar being formed upon thepump-disk, it might have a vertical screw-threaded boss, and that theconnecting-rod might be made of tubing internally screw-threaded at itslower end and screwed onto said boss upon the disk, the twoconstructions described being equivalent.

Itwill be seen that by making the valvef upon the pump-disk conical, andmaking the exhaust-opening in the top of the cup of less diameter thanthe diameter of the base of the cone-shaped Valve, the valve in itsascent with the disk in exhausting the air will enter the opening c',and the rubber around the opening will be pressed tightly down upon thebase or enlarged portion of the valve, thus eiectually closing theexhaust-openingcand rendering the same air-tight.

AThe operation of my improved device is as follows: The flanged end ot'the cup is rst placed around the part of the body it is desired to cup,the handle]c4 being depressed t0 exhaust the air in the air-chamber D,and as it is pulled outward the air in vacuum-chainber C is drawn upwardthrough the outletopening b', the sheet-rubber valve B being lifted bythe atmospheric pressure and enters the air-chamber D, whence as thehandle and pump disk are again depressed it is discharged through theexhaust-opening c into the outer atmosphere. This operation ofreciprocating the pump-disk and upper portion of the casing is repeateduntil the requisite vacuum and atmospheric pressure is created, which,in consequence of the simplicity of the device and the operation, may beeasily calculated and regulated to a minute degree.

Tightly impacted around the stem or collar of the disk F, and secured tothe outside of the top of the iiexible casing, is a flexible washer g',which not only acts as a packing to prevent the escape of air at thispoint, but keeps the parts in a close and proper relative position.

The advantages of myimproved device will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which it appertains and need not be commented uponat length.

I claim-` 1. In a cupping device, a cup-shaped casing of elastic rubbercorrugated vertically at its lower portion to stiften that portion andhaving an annular' outwardly-projecting flange at its lower open end,substantially as described.

2. In a cupping device, the one-piece elastic body A, open at its lowerend and having an opening in its upper portion, the diaphragmplate B,dividing the body into compartments, with a valve-closed port betweenthem, the disk F, secured to the inner upper side of the casing, and thehandle connected therewith, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

3. In a cupping device, a one-piece cupshaped elastic casing divided byaplate with a valve-closed port therein into two compartments, and havingan exhaust-port in its upper portion, in combination with a handlesecured to the upper portion by a disk orplate upon the inside, having aconical valve thereon to close the exhaust-port in the casing, and awasher upon the outside to tightly impinge the casing between it and thedisk, substantially as shown and described, and for the pul'- pose setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE R. ALLEN.

Vitnesses:

L. C. MCLAIN, JOSEPH A. llIINTURN. v

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